Dispensing device for granular and powdered material



March 18, 1958 H. J. CORTNER 2,327,083

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR GRANULAR AND POWDERED MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 7, 1954 INVEN TOR. HANS JassPH CORT/{ER ATTORNEYS.

March 18, 1958 H. J. CORTNER 2,827,083

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR GRANULAR AND POWDERED MATERIAL Filed Dec. 7, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. HM: Jase/= 4 CURT/VER Y 2 WW AT TORNEY S.

United tates p fii DISPENSING DEVICE FOR GRANULAR AND POWDERED MATERIAL Hans Joseph Cortner, New York, N. Application December 7, 1954, Serial No. 473,633

1 Claim. (Cl. 141-372) This invention relates to a dispensing device for granular and powdered material.

This new device is particularly adapted to be made in a form suitable for use in domestic kitchens and adapted to dispense measured amounts of a material such as cofiee, sugar, flour and the like.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a device of this character in a form permitting a reasonably low manufacturing and selling cost while producing a device which is attractive in appearance, efiicient in 1 This example is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view;

Fig. 2 is a side view;

Fig. 3 is a top view showing the cover of the device removed to expose the interior;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section of the device taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a horizontal cross section taken on the line 66 in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a cross section taken on the line 7-7 in Fig. 5.

This illustrated dispensing device is particularly intended to store and dispense ground coffee but it may be used to handle any granular or powdered material.

It is to be understood that it may be desirable to redesign certain of the parts with respect to dimensions and arrangement when handling commodities other than ground coffee.

The device includes a container for the material which is of rectangular cross sectional contour throughout. The lower portion of this container has opposed vertical front and back walls 1 and 2 respectively and opposed declining side walls 3. There is also a flat horizontal bottom wall 4 through which a relatively narrow slot 5 is formed centrally between the declining walls 3 and extending transversely with respect to the vertical front and back walls 1 and 2.

The walls 2 and 3 continue upwardly while the front wall 1 joins with a forwardly slanting wall portion 1a. The various walls thus define a container for the coffee, the entire device being designed preferably so as to hold a little over a pound of coffee. The top of the device has a filling opening 6 which is normally closed by a removable cover 7. This cover is shown as fitting somewhat loosely in Fig. 1 for the purpose of indicating clearly its ice removable or opening nature, but in the actual device such a cover should be made to fit tightly enough to protect the coffee from the atmosphere.

cover is made substantially air-tight.

A paddle wheel is journaled transversely between the vertical walls 1 and 2 on an axis parallel to and vertically Preferably the registered with the slot 5. This paddle wheel comprises 1 a hollow hub 8, the wall 2 being formed with an inwardly projecting boss 9 which extends partly into one end of l the hub 8 so as to journal that end. The other end of the hub 8 has a stub shaft 10 which projects through a hole 11 formed through the wall 1. This shaft 10 has an outer portion on the outside of the wall 1, this portion having the form of a segmental cylinder and a finger knob 12 being fitted thereover, this knob 12 having a recess 13 shaped to fit the mentioned portion of the shaft 10. R0- tation of the knob 12 causes the hub 8 to rotate inside of the device.

A plurality of radial vanes 14 project from the hub 8.

These vanes have radial edges 15 located adjacent to the vertical wall portions 1 and 2 and outwardly projected axial edges 16 which swing adjacent to the declining walls 3 and also the bottom wall 4. The boss 9 and the hole 11 are axially aligned so as to establish the axis of the paddle wheel with respect to the slot 5. I

' It will be found that for any particular granular or powdered material, it may be necessary to alter the spac ing between the vanes 14, or to change the size of the slot 5 or the diameter of the hub 8. The device as illustrated is designed to handle coffee.

Even though the slot 5 is left fully opened granular and powdered material will not flow through this slot 5 unless the material is caused to move past or over the slot 5. This is done by rotation of the knob 12 so as to rotate the vanes 14 which force the coffee, in the case be relatively close together so that they turn easily in the granular material to flow over the discharge or dispensing opening 5 whenever the dispensing action is desired. At the same time the slot 5, or other opening, should be small enough so that when rotation of the i paddle wheel is halted the then stationary material will not gravitationally discharge by itself through the slot 5 1 or other opening.

The front and back walls 1 and 2 both extend below T the outside of the bottom wall 4 and they have a set of interfacing grooves 17 formed therein. A valve plate 18 is slidably arranged in these grooves 17 so as to close the slot 5 when registered therewith. As illustrated, the plate 18 has an outwardly projecting handle 19 so that it may be moved to open or closed positions conveniently. This plate should be made to fit relatively tightly or in a substantially air-tight manner so as to protect the material in the container from having access to the atmosphere through the slot 5. When in operation the handle 19 is pulled outwardly to remove the plate 18 from registration with the slot 5.

The downwardly projecting portions of the walls 1 and 2 have a second set of interfacing grooves 20 formed therein adjacently below the set 17. A dispensed material receiver 21 is provided, this receiver having a mouth dimensioned so that it is substantially co-extensive with the bottom wall 4. The receivers mouth per Patented Mar. 18, 19 58 In any event, the paddle wheel should operate to caus f t it i a a r 2,827,083 a a g V 7 3 7 tion has asetrof. oppositely extending flanges 22-which are removably located slidahly in the second set' of grooves 20.- This receiver has a rectangular contour provided by four side walls all of which decline, the walls which". extend from the; wallssfis preferably havin'ga theet same-angularity-ns thei latter; The; receiver-has aa'tbottoins wall,2 1'a which is relatively small asgtcompared tozthes t mouth of the receiver, and the'receiveri'hasegraduations; 23 formed in its side walls so,- that;theereceiverrmay function to measure the materialdispenscd upon rotate 10 tion .of t the paddle 'wheel.

The mouth of the receiver. 21- is very. wide as com:

pared to the width of the slot .5. Therefore,-aszthecoifeel rises.- intthe-receiver 21 the latter, may be shakenlaterallyl by; being slid back and'forth intheigroovesflllsso: as;-tO:

levelv off the material being dispensed The: receiver 21:, 'is preferably made of transparent material throughout: so'that thelevel of the dispensedimaterial may be;ob;- served directly. The slanting. sides ofthe receiver; fur.

ther functionto prevent'the. material, dispensed, fr0mi 0 The appearance oftthe device is naturally attractiveand: 25

because Vofthevertical back wall52 the devicemay be; mounted on the kitchen wall, forexample. It'twilltbe: noted that the wall 2 is. providedwith amounting wedge: 24 ofv thetype. whichafits' in the; fiat tapered socket cus.-'-

tomarily used for mounting appliances innthe. kitchen on the, wall, door; or the-like. When thus; mounted-.the; entire device fits ratherflatly against the wallandidoes notprotrude to an objectionable extent; 7

In operation the device'isifilled with the materiahtsu'ch as coffee, thev material being, stored where. it is Jcon- 3 venient. and ;yet being; protected, from. the, action. of: the,

atmosphere The; receiverj21 is tin-placeas shown by- Figs. 1 and 2.

Whenja dispensed amount; of material is; desired the:

'handle 19'is1pulledoutwardly so that the -plate'18; clears 40 the slot-5'6 The, coflee'or other material does not begin 7 to discharge at thistime because the slots is-tproporrtionedto preventfree gravitational flow-Q However; as soonsas or asglong-astthe: knob lz is rotated the cofiee or other materialfiowsdn a substantially uniforntstream from the slot;51and;.into1 the receiver 21.7

Clontrolotfrthisflowis zvery effective; The flowistops: as soon as the rotation of the paddle wheel, by turning: the: knob 12,; is halted; Therefore; it iseasy to; bring the.-level-. of, themateriahtorthe desired: one 50f the gradm ations, 23 on ;the, walls; ofi,the transparentg receiver; 21; Although the; four; slanting or declining: walls; of the receiver 211 reduce;the: tendency fora; material such as:

coffee to heap; which interferes with accurately: measure 5 ing, thereiisgusually a tendency for, such heapinglto .occun Leveling is effected simply by sliding the receiver rapidly *back vandforth by slidingt the receiverfs tfianges 22- in the-groovesZl). Sincethemouth-of'the receiver is quite wide ascompared to the-width'ofthe -slott5, itis possible to .effect shaking actionrwhile the knob 12: is turned to cout-inuee the dispensing-action; In -oth'er-r words, the receiver maybe shaken rather 'vigorousl'y while the neces-' sary registration between itsmouth and the slot Sis maintained continuously. After the desired amount is dispensed the handle 19 is pushed inwardly so that the plate 18 closes the slot 5 and protects the material within the device.

I claim: a

A dispensing device. for coilee and,sirnilar granular and powdered'material; saiddevice including a container for the material, said container having a lower portion of rectangular contourwitlropposed= vertical walls and opposeddeclining wallsand. a bottom wall through which a relatively narrow slitis formedcentrally between said declining walls andextendingtransverselY straight with respect to said vertical walls, a paddle wheel journaled transversely between said vertical walls on an axis parallel to and vertically registered with said slit and having a radial vanes with-radial edges located adjacent to said vertical walls and outwardlyprojected:axialedges which sweep; adjacent tosaid declining walls and said bot-toni wallzuponrotationof said wheel, one of saidivertical walls having a hole therethroughlregisteredwiththehaxis of said wheel and the lattenhavinga drive shaftwith -a-i portion extending, through said .holeto .the outside of said one; oft-said. vertical walls and .said shaft havingtrneans on thezouter' endzof said portion-thereofffon rotating thesame,z.the upperportion 10f saidcontainer having atfilling opening and'a. tighttclosure therefor, the said vertical? walls having portions. extending below the outside of saidbottom wall andthaving a set of interfacing grooves formeclltherein and a valve plate slidablysarranged insaid grooves for closing said slit when registered therewith, said valve plate having a controller handle-pro jecting; therefrom transversely to and extendinghorizontally beyond the outside of the adjacent one of said declining walls, said extending portions ofsaid vertical walls having a'second set of interfacing grooves formed- "therein adjacently below the first named set, and a dispens'ed material receiver having a mouth substantially co-extensive with said bottom wall and a set of oppositely extending flanges removably located slidabl'y: in said second set of grooves, said receiver-having arectangular. contour and four side walls all'of'which decline and a bottom wall which is relatively small as compared toisaid mouthofsaid receiver, at least one-of said treceivers side walls being graduated so that said receiver" yt nction tomcasure. the materialdispensed upon ro-,

tation of said wheel. a Q 1 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDESTATES PATENTS i 7 940,447 Cofhng Dec. 19,1933; 2;364;326 Stephens j Dec; 5, 19441 2;416,81l Bailey 2 Mar. 4, 1947 2','5-56;782 V Venters; tlune 12,119'5'1 2,-605;'934* Telander' Aug. 5, 1952 2,609,127 Wood Sept. 2,, 1952 Gardner et a l Sept. 16, 1952 

